A research project was carried out at Queen’s University to determine the effectiveness of an agarose gel-based treatment of iron gall ink corrosion halos using reducing agent sodium metabisulfite and chelating agent diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid. The ink fabricated for this experiment contained the metal ions of iron, copper, and zinc to increase the amount of visible corrosion, as well as replicate historic inks that have metals other than iron in them. The experimental treatment accounts for the chelation of the copper and zinc ions from the paper substrate along with iron, which cannot currently be done using the widely accepted calcium phytate treatment, as phytate is iron selective. The effectiveness of this experimental treatment was primarily determined using qualitative methods of analysis. Photographic documentation, ultraviolet fluorescence, optical microscopy, scanning election microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and electron probe microanalysis were the techniques that yielded the most useful results. Color spectrophotometry and pH measurements of the sample swatches yielded results that support observations made with the aforementioned techniques. Unfortunately, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, the main technique that would have confirmed the success of the treatment, did not yield results because of unknown error. Though no definite conclusions could be drawn on the effectiveness of the treatment, suggestions for future research and potential treatment procedures can be considered based on the results from the qualitative analyses.

Kelly Conlin is a recent graduate of Queen's University's Art Conservation Program where she was a student in their Science Stream. At the Association for North American Graduate Programs in Conservation's annual meeting she gave an oral presentation of her preliminary research findings... Read More →

Rosaleen Hill is Director and Assistant Professor - Paper Conservation, Photographic Materials and New Media for the Art Conservation Program at Queen's University. Her research interests are broad and include a partnership with the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation in the development... Read More →

Alison Murray is the Associate Professor of Conservation Science for the Art Conservation Program at Queen's University. She is conducting a research program for characterizing and conserving modern materials, including acrylic paints and grounds; this research integrates information... Read More →